The surge of interest in testing for the COVID-19 pathogen has led to some innovative tests and test strategies, including at-home tests. However, the FDA has indicated that it is wary of both at-home testing and specimen collection in other than supervised settings, a policy that is meeting with criticism from some quarters, but not all.

San Jose, Calif.-based Align Technology Inc. has won the FDA’s nod for its Itero Element 5D imaging system. The company said the Itero Element 5D is the first intraoral scanner with near-infrared imaging (NIRI) technology that visualizes the internal structure of the tooth in real time. The FDA cleared the device for the detection of interproximal caries lesions above the gingiva and for monitoring the progress of such lesions.

The U.S. FDA has granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Cepheid Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., for a rapid molecular diagnostic to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test is designed for the qualitative detection of the novel coronavirus and runs on the company’s automated Genexpert systems, with a turnaround time of about 45 minutes.

PARIS – The French government is seeking to curb the growth in spending on medical devices. According to recent work by the parliamentary information commission, led by deputies Julien Borowczyk and Pierre Dharréville, medical technology is the source of $5.8 billion in annual spending in the community and $2.1 billion in hospitals.

DUBLIN—Can high-dose inhaled nitric oxide (NO) make a meaningful contribution to patients with COVID-19 infection? The FDA was sufficiently persuaded by the data presented by Bellerophon Therapeutics Inc. to grant it expanded access approval for its iNOpulse system for pulmonary delivery of NO.